Palkkad Parameswara bhagavatar ppb compositions (Web view)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The early music of Kerala is hidden among myths, rituals, and
folklores. Ritual music is preserved in Bhagavati temples, Sarpakkaavu
and Saasthamadams. Innumerable folk songs have emerged through the
ages along with socio-rituals and festivals. ‘Tradition attributes the
systematization of the Kerala music to Sage Parasurama.’ We find a wide range of songs composed by
people known and unknown between the early and later compositions. While the early
music includes Thyanees and Sopana sangeetam, the later
ones have evolved into the realm of what is considered to be Classical Karnatic
music with the elements of raga, style of rendering and rhythmic ideas required
for presenting them in a concert.
Music of Kerala
at once brings to our mind Maharaja Swati Tirunal- his rich output and variety
in theme, language and form. There are many other composers Royal and
otherwise, who deserve attention. A
short survey into the pre-classical forms reveals songs accompanying Koothu,
Koodiyaattam, Krishnanattam, Ramanattam, Kathakali and Mohini attam.
Thyaanees and Sopana sangeetam were sung more like prabhanda,
with concentration on literary themes and having more devotional appeal; hence
the music therein had fewer notes, lower octaves, selected tala structure and
simple melody phrases.
Gradually, a branch of music developed,
independent of the function of ritual, festival or accompanying drama or dance.
This development resulted in the emergence of many composers.
The contribution of these composers comprises of all
types of compositional forms such as prabhanda, kirtana, kriti, varna, pada, swarajati,
jatiswara, tillana and ragamalika. Among these, but for prabhanda
and jatiswara, the others are rendered in current day music concerts.
It is intriguing
that but for a few compositions of Swati Tirunal and a few others, the stock of
the musical wealth of many other composers are yet to come to the lime light of
the musical repertoire of performing musicians.
Being a student
of music and a performing musician the author found to her dismay that there
are many compositions by the various composers of Kerala, which are still in
the manuscript stage- some are preserved in the Royal families, by the
descendents, the disciples and some by music lovers.
A perusal of some
of these compositions reveal certain features unique to the music of
Kerala.While preserving ancient rare ragas, new ragas are evolved and
illustrated through the compositions. Some innovations in the
form
and content are also attempted. The linguistic medium is very wide and the
regional tongue is neither ignored nor made the sole vehicle of expression.
There exist songs in all the four Dravidian languages apart from Sanskrit,
Hindi, and Braj bhasha.
The prime objective of this study hence is to unearth
such compositions which can be included as concert pieces and performed in the
regular cucheri pattern, while taking into consideration the lyrical aptness,
musical aesthetics and devotional appeal. After all music is a fine art, when
performing which the singer as well as the listener derive gratification at the
same time.
The author took upon herself the task of collecting and
studying the works of such composers and with that purpose had undertaken a
trip to Kerala to which the author belongs by birth.
Earlier during her search, in one of the websites, for classical
musicians and composers from Kerala, the author came upon a review of the book
entitled “Techniques Of Manodharma Swara Singing Made Easy” by
Sri N.P.Ramaswamy. A popular musician and
composer in Kerala,
Sri.Ramaswamy is
the great grandson of Palakkad Parameswara Bhagavatar.
Among the
compositions mentioned therein, some varnas of Palakkad Parameswara Bhagavatar
(1815-1892 A.D.) were listed. Parameswara Bhagavatar was a musician and
composer in the court of Travancore inducted during the reign of Maharaja Swati
Tirunal and continued in the honorable position during the period of successive
rulers –Uthram Tirunal, Aayilyam Tirunal and Visakham Tirunal.
Given to understand that Sri.N.P.Ramaswamy is in
possession of some compositions of Bhagavatar, the author obtained from him the
copies of some of the varnas with their musical notation. The lyrics show a
great deal of devotional appeal unlike the many traditionally sung varnas. He
was good enough to give the text of six kritis of Bhagavatar while mentioning,
during the interview, that their original musical setting is not available. He
was also kind enough to sing a couple of varnas and a kriti and permit to
record them.
The author therefore decided to study the varnas and
kritis thus available and selected the topic
“ An Analysis Of The Varnas And Kritis
Of
Palakkad
Parameswara Bhagavatar”
for the dissertation in M.Phil. and submit to
the Dept.of Music, Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal.
In this study an attempt has been made to compile and make a
thorough analytical study of the varnas and textual analysis of the kritis of
Palakkad Parameswara Bhagavatar. The objective of this study is to make known
these compositions to the music world, by publishing, performing and teaching
these to aspiring students of music.
The purport of the research is to explore the unsung compositions,
which are concert worthy.
This dissertation is divided into the following chapters.
CHAPTER TITLE
1 Introduction
2 Music In Kerala
3 Life
Sketch Of Palakkad Parameswara Bhagavatar
4
Melodic And Textual
Analysis Of The Varnas Of
Palakkad
Parameswara Bhagavatar
5
Textual Analysis Of
The Kritis Of
Palakkad Parameswara Bhagavatar
6 Conclusion.
APPENDICES
APPENDIX I AUDIOGRAPHY
Selected
songs sung by the author in compact disc
i. Varna
in Raga Gaula
ii.Varna in Raga Yadukulakamboji in Taanam format
iii.Kriti
in Raga Khamas set to tune by the author
APPENDIX II
PHOTOGRAPHS
APPENDIX III BIBLIOGRAPHY
CHAPTER TWO
MUSIC
IN KERALA
Music
is an ancient art. The beginnings of Indian music are lost in the mists of
antiquity. All through historic and prehistoric times too music has been the
cherished treasure of Kings and Noblemen of this land. Ancient cities were
great centers of musical culture. All the famous musicians were attached to some
Royal Court or the other. Some of the
rulers apart from being connoisseurs of
fine art were themselves great composers and musicians. Travancore, Tanjore and
Mysore were,
and even now to a certain extent, are great musical centers. Music like other
fine arts was in the past a privilege of a chosen few; kings, zamindaars and
rich people patronized music and musicians. The musician had no anxiety about
his livelihood. He was free to pursue his art. Mythology attributes the
systemization of music in Kerala to Sage Parasuraama. It is understood that at
the temples of Aryan Gods like Siva and Vishnu, Vedic priests were assigned the
task of offering worship and Non-Aryan heads performed pooja at the Kaavu
and Tara –which were designated to particular households.
A
very old system of music seems to have existed as part of their ritual worship.
“Aryan system of music is sung in two styles in South
India. They are Karnatic and Desi. Kerala music is sung mainly in
Karnatic style. Dravidian music in Kerala is called Sopana. Sopana is
considered as the typical music of Kerala, which now resides mainly in the
music of temples and in the traditional theatrical productions”.
Sopana
Sangeetam
Sopana sangeetam has
been in vogue from the ancient days. Kerala was identified with Sopana
sangeetam. But Sopana sangeetam is not exclusively Keralite. Since the Sama
Vedic period, India
as a whole was influenced by Maargi Sangeetha. A close follow on was Sopana
sangeetam. The Saman Chants-considered as the original source of our music is
recited in a different way among the Namboodiri sect in Kerala. Sopana Music is
the continuation of Maargi sangeetam, which prevailed all over India
since the period of Sama Veda. Though it is indicative of some characteristics
of classical music, it has the rustic beauties of folk music, combined with the
ritual aspect of traditional singing at temples.
“The traditional singing of Jayadeva’s Ashtapadi
to the accompaniment of Edakka, on the steps “Sopana’ of the temples is the
Sopana recitation.”
The vocal music rendered at the flight of steps leading to the deity
in the temple is called as Sopana Sangeetam. A percussion player accompanies
the singer on the Edakka, which is a mellifluous percussion instrument.
In the history of temple architecture, it was around the
8th
century A.D, that the temples in Kerala were constructed with the features as
Vimanam, Gopuram, Sreekovil, Sopana Mandapam etc. King Kulasekhara Varma’s
period saw the building of Koothambalam in the temples.
“Paattusevaakaaryam" –the ritual of singing songs-was one among the
rituals where the artists used to render music on the steps of these Sopana Mandapam
to the accompaniment of Edakka rhythm. It was also called “Kottippaadi Seva”.
Therein, the tunes, the beats, the accent of stress and pitch varied even
within the temple traditions of the Northern and Southern
Kerala. The practice of singing to various speeds can be traced to
this ritual.
“It is said that the technique of singing “tanam” to the
accompaniment of tala was introduced in Kerala by Sangramadheera Ravi Varman
Kulasekhara (1271-1314 A.D.)”
The “maaraar”
community singularly held the privilege of performing Sopana Sangeetam. In the
three aspects of nrita, gita, vadya, we can find a similarity between Sopana
Ganam in Kerala and the tradition of Araiyarseva in parts of Tamilnadu.
“Sopana songs were
more of “prabhanda” type and their singing concentrated on the literary ideas
more emphatically and as such had fewer notes, restricted octaves, selected
musical phrases and gamakas, selected ragas, fewer talas and limited
elaboration. More than that, it was disciplined after the early concept of
“tauryaatruka” which was best suited for the vocal expression of kathakali
drama, kshetra sangeetam, and kaalakshepa sangeetam and as such was unsuitable
for rendering in the ‘Karnataka sangeeta kaccheri padhati’, and other classical
platforms”
Though Sopana music cannot be
considered as a separate system of music, it has till today preserved some rare
talas and ragas laid down to propitiate particular deities on specified
rituals.
Between
the 14th- 15th Centuries, music of Kerala-underwent a
remarkable transition, with the introduction
of the Gita Govindam of Jayadeva being sung in the temples in the Sopana Saili
or Style. The use of Padams {lyrics} or musical compositions couched in
mellifluous melodies came into vogue on the model of the erotic charming lyrics
of Jayadeva in the Gita Govindam. Pioneer in this new effort was Mana Vikrama
the author of Krishnanaattam (16th cent A.D.) followed by Veera
Kerala Varma – the Raja of Kottarakkara 17th cent A.D.-founder of
Ramanattam- which later developed as Kathakali –the unique Dance Drama of
Kerala in which Gita, Vadya and Nrtya merged together. Essentially, the music of Kathakali
is similar to the Vedic chants. Here the rendering of the ragas is not similar
to that of classical music. Koodiyaattam music may be considered to be a link
between the classical and Vedic music in as much as the ancient rendering and
the talas are preserved in the traditional portrayal of Sanskrit drama, which
is the theme of Koodiyaattam.
Music In Kathakali
The “Krishnanaattam” and “Raamanaattaam” padams were the
music of Abhinaya Sangeetam. These dance drama forms later developed into Kathakali. This saw the
birth of various Padam composers like Iravivarmman Tampi, Kottayattu Raja (17th
century) and Unnayiwarier (18th century). “Krishnagiti” of Manaveda
(17th century) provided music for Krishnanattam, which is performed
in Guruvayoor temple. These Padams, which have preserved rare talas and ragas,
are a great contribution to the music of South India.
These composers enjoyed a dignified patronage under the
Royal Umbrella. Their compositions enriched the cultural expression of the
Kathakali dance forms. Their presentation in the temples and in the religious
celebration of the Royal Family provided the platform for the artistes.
Music of Kathakali has a unique
charm. The thematic wealth of the stories in our Puranas are preserved and
depicted through music. The songs have
magnificence of expression, sweetness of texture and rhythmic accentuation. Old
ragas in ancient Tamil works as Indisa, Puraneera, Kaanakkurinji etc are preserved
in the Kathakali songs.
Among the Kathakali
composers, Kottayattu Raja (17th cent-A.D.) had a trained musical
ear. He was a musical dramatist.
Prince Aswathi Tirunal’s (18th Century.) compositions
were rich in range and had delicate touches with flawless technique and
sonorous rhythm.
Unnayi Varier’s songs were exceptionally ornate compositions with
dilatory tunes reminiscent of the slow movement in folk melody. We see the
freedom in the handling of his musical phraseology from his “Bhaashaashtapadi.”
Irayimman Tampi’s works evince a rich musical tradition – a variety and
richness in the sweet concord of his sounds.
Swati Tirunal Tamburaatti, a distinguished composer who hailed from
the royal family of Vadakkan Kottayam was proficient in composing poetry, drama
and kirtana.
Music in Kerala in 19th century
Karnatic music, as we know of today, is actually South
Indian music. The classical forms of concert music, which have evolved
throughout the four states Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamilnadu,
form Karnatic Music. Before bifurcation as North Indian and South Indian music,
reportedly during the 14th Century, this art was part of the
religious and ritual activities of the people of the whole country. Karnatic
music is supposed to belong to Karnataka, by many, to Tamilnadu, by some and to
Telugu speaking by a few. It could actually be termed as South Indian Music,
encompassing the classical music of the southern states, speaking the four
languages viz. Kannada, Tamizh, Telugu and Malayalam.
The end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th
century have been the golden age for Karnatic music. It was in this period that
Saint Thyagaraja, Shyama Sastri, and Muthuswami Dikshitar-the Musical Trinity
as they are called-flourished and flooded South India with their masterly and
exquisite music. It was also at the same period that Swati Tirunal Maharaja of
Travancore(1813-1847)-lived in Travancore and made his unique contribution to
the music lore of the south. In its modern form classical music was introduced
and flourished under the graceful patronage of Swathi Tirunal. Apart from being
a musician and composer himself, he was instrumental in recognizing the
composers from in and around Travancore. Thus the 19th century
marked a brilliant period in the progress of Karnatic Music in Kerala. By this
time, a congenial atmosphere for the growth of all arts was created after the
turmoil of in fighting among small princes ended .
Travancore was a center of art under the reign of Maharaja Swathi
Tirunal. Among the musicians who adorned his court were
Vidwaan Koil Tampuraan of Kilimanoor,
Iravi Varman Tampi,
Kshiraabdi Sastrigal,
Chinniah-a disciple of Thyagaraja,
Meruswami,
Palakkad Parameswara Bhagavatar,
Tiruchirapally Peer Mohammed,
Ayodhya Haridas Goswami,
Govinda Maraar and
Vadivelu, Chinnaya, Ponnaya, and Sivananda of Tanjore.
The classical forms in the Karnatic Music like Varnam,
Swarajathi, Kriti, Ragamalika, Tillana etc also gained popularity under the
Royal Patronage. Artists from Karnataka, Thanjavoor and other parts of the
country were invited and accommodated in Travancore and the skills in rendering
and composing were appreciated and rewarded.
Among the illustrious musicians and composers who
enjoyed the admiration of the Royal family of Travancore, Parameshwara
Bagawathar from Palakkad stands out with his unique contribution.
Parameswara Bhagavatar was well known for Tanam
rendering. Some of his Tana Varnas and Kritis form the subject of this study in the following chapters.
CHAPTER THREE
LIFE
SKETCH
OF
PALAKKAD PARAMESWARA BHAGAVATAR
(1815-1892)
Among the
galaxy of luminaries, in the court was one of the illustrious contemporaries of
Maharaja Swathi Tirunal- Palakkad Parameswara Bhagavatar. He was only two years
younger to his Royal patron.
A Tamizh Brahmin,
belonging to the Brahacharanam sect, Palakkad Parameswara Bhagavatar, was born
in 1815 A.D., in a middle class family as the son of Dharmaraja Iyer at Noorani
– a village in Palakkad district of Kerala. Orphaned at a young age, he came
under the care of his uncle who was living in Guruvayoor.
Gifted with a fine ringing voice, his poignant renderings at the holy presence
of Lord Krishna at the temple in Guruvayoor, provided the nurturing grace to
bloom into a gifted musician and composer.
By the age of sixteen, he
is said to have acquired enough knowledge in Sanskrit and music under the
tutelege of a Bhagavatar whose name is not known.
Listening to and interacting with various musicians who used to frequent the
temple further developed his latent talent.
Representative Of The Great Mullamoodu Tradition:
At the age of sixteen, Parameswara Bhagavatar happened to go to
Tiruvananthapuram seeking livelihood. At the Sri Padmanaabha Swami temple,
he was heard singing by the then young prince Swathi Tirunal. He was captivated
by the shrill and melodious voice of the young singer.
“Enthralled, he (the Maharaja) made enquiries about him immediately
and proceeded to appoint him (young Parameswara) as the court musician. He
provided him a house at “Mullamoodu”, near the palace. Parameswara was the
first musician to represent this great tradition.”
“Mulla” in Malayalam means
the jasmine flowers. There is a building in a corner near the temple where
there had grown a jasmine creeper. This building was used to host the various
musicians- Mullamoodu Bhagavatars, as they enjoyed the Royal patronage.
“They assembled at the Mullamoodu house,
rustling with thickets intertwined with jasmine shrubs and rendered the
Maharajas compositions from which tradition is derived the name Mullamoodu
Bhagavatar. The tradition of Mullamoodu is 175 years old. Only a handful of
Mullamoodu musicians remain today.”
Parameswara
Bhagavatar was the first musician from outside Travancore to be appointed as
the Chief Samasthana vidwan.
By virtue of his intense practice in the company of the court musicians from
various regions, his talents developed further. The musical greatness of this
pious man of sound learning and excellent character, made him worthy of the
Maharaja’s companionship. The facilities available in the state were put to
appropriate use. He honed his skills in playing the violin, swarabhat and veena.
His proficiency in rendering manodharma singing was well known. He acquired
proficiency as a violinist having been trained by Vadivelu (1810-1847)
in the royal court. The Maharaja made him the Chief Palace Musician after the
death of Vadivelu.
“Bhagavatar was an expert in singing
Ragam-Tanam Pallavi. His unique style of singing tanam in Ghana ragas (Nata,
Goula, Varali, Arabhi and Sree raga) and alapana of Saveri raga followed by the
rendering of ‘Paripahi Ganadhipa’ (a Swathi composition) in the Navaratri
Mandapam was spoken high of by the musicians of those days. It is also heard
that he used to sing very well the Deekshitar kriti –Manasa guruguham in Ananda
Bhairavi Raga.
He was very
punctual in his daily routine and performing Siva pooja. He used to perform
worship from 7 a.m. up to noon before his meals. During the day he seldom spoke
to anybody and spoke only in Sanskrit if at all the occasion demanded. At about
3 p.m. he used to teach his disciples.
Bhagavatar
lost his eyesight in his old age. He lost his wife also three months before his
death. He returned to Palakkad and took to Sanyasa Ashrama three days before he
died in 1892. He was a contented man throughout his life. Some music critics
state that Bhagavatar was denied the opportunity of meeting Saint Thyagaraja
due to his inevitable presence in the Travancore Royal court and he used to
curse his fate on that accord. But in one life sketch about Bhagavatar
published by the famous archeologist, Vasudeva Puduval; it is stated that
Bhagavatar visited Thanjavur, met Thyagaraja and sang his compositions also to
the Thanjavur musicians, who applauded him.”
During his
tour in the Thanjavur district, he had occasions to meet other reputed
musicians like Peria Vaithi of Sivaganga, who admiring his compositions learnt
them from him.
Parameswara Bhagavatar
had the privilege of setting to music, some of the lyrics of the Swathi
Tirunal- the chief among them being the Utsava Prabhanda in Manipravalam a
mixture of Sanskrit and Malayalam languages in 1014 M.E.
In the year 1839 A.D., he sang the Prabhanda in a distinguished assembly in the
presence of the Maharaja. He was presented a pair of laced garments and a sum
of Rs.300.
He has composed the
sahitya ‘saarasabhavaadrutapadame’ in
Sanskrit for the Pancharaga Swarajati of the Maharaja – ‘s, nrss, ndpdn’ set to
Triputa tala and in the ragas Kalyani, Begada, Attana, Surati, and Todi.
The popular Taana Varna in Nata Raga –Sarsija naabha- Tala Adi is that of
Parameswara Bhagavatar and not of Swati Tirunal Maharaja.
He held the post of Chief
Samasthana Vidwan with great dignity during the reigns of four of Travancore’s
illustrious monarchs- Swati Tirunal (1829 -1846), Uthram Tirunal Martanda Varma
(1847-1860), Aayilyam Tirunal (1860-1880) and Visakham Tirunal (1880-1885).
He was the only one to have this honour of serving four successive Travancore
rulers.
He later served the court of Sree Moolam Tirunal also.
Parameswara Bhagavatar
introduced to Maharaja Swathi, the Edakka player Maliyekkal Krishna Maaraar. In
those times, Edakka –an indigenous drum was used to keep time to the
accompaniment of Kathakali Music. Bhagavatar admired the dexterity of Maaraar
playing the percussion while singing classical music. Impressed by his playing,
the appreciative Royal Patron gifted him a pair of golden bracelets.
This incident shows the admiration Bhagavatar had to other musicians of his
time as well as the extent of intimacy and regard the Maharaja had. Yet another
occasion shows the deep- rooted camaraderie with the Royal household. It was
according to his advice that Aayilyam Tirunal called for Coimbatore Raghava
Iyer, one of Bhagavatar’s disciples, who was then staying at Haripad to meet at
the historical musical contest with Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer in 1872 A.D. and
honoured both of them with costly presents.
Parameswara Bhagavatar
has composed many devotional songs, while on pilgrimage to sacred places, both
in and out of Travancore. He has composed several scholarly varnas in the ragas
Todi, Nata, Sankarabharana, Behag, Goula, Varali, Sree, Arabhi, Khamas,
Yadukula Kamboji and Bilahari.
Sri.N.P.Ramaswamy has revealed to the author that there are a few more of
Bhagavatar’s varnas in other ragas eg. Suddha Danyasi- beginning with the words
‘Atma gnaana’. His kritis in Sanskrit and Malayalam are yet to become known to
the performing music world. The kriti in the raga Nata –Sri Mahaganapatim
Bhajare-Tala Adi; was demonstrated by his great grand son Sri. Ramaswamy a few
years back at the Annual Music Conference of The Madras Music Academy, and it
was well received.
Disciples of Parameswara Bhagavatar
Bhagavatar’s Pallavis
were learnt and rendered by Vidwans like Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer. He was
fortunate to have a lineage of devoted and talented disciples in and out of
Travancore. Coimbatore Raghava Iyer, Noorani Ayya Bhagavatar, Swarabhat Kittu
Bhagavatar, Mukke Ganapathi Bhagavatar, Appu Bhagavatar, Gopala Bhagavatar,
Sitarama Bhagavatar. Raghava Iyer of Munchira, one among his foremost
disciples, became popular as Coimbatore Raghava Iyer since he stayed there for
long.
His voice had a compass of three octaves and
ranged from anumandra sthayi panchama to tara
sthayi panchama. He was well versed in singing Ghana, naya, and desya ragas.
Progeny of
musicians
Parameswara Bhagavatar had two sons and three daughters. His elder
son Mahadeva Iyer grew up to be an expert violinist, composer and linguist. His
second son Ramakrishna Iyer became a popular musician. Both served in the Royal court of their time.
Mahadeva Bhagavatar’ s contribution to music is also significant in as much as
they pertain to both, lakshana or theory and lakshya or practice. All of them
were Harikatha lovers and have composed niroopanams or story line with relevant
songs for Harikatha.
Chamy Bhagavatar, the son
of Mahadeva Iyer was as per tradition, officially named after our subject as
Noorani Parameswara Bhagavatar. He was an expert in veena playing and a
Harikatha exponent. He had three sons and six daughters. Sri N.
P.Ramaswamy is the son of one of the
daughters, Lakshmiammal. He reveals that his grand father had invented a bow
like instrument ‘Sarjat’, taught him to play the same and wished to demonstrate
to the music loving people of Madras.
His father, Sri.N.R.P.Iyer was a popular musician of his generation. Among the
lineage, Harihara Bhagavatar was a violinist and Seshadri Bhagavatar, a
flutist. The later was advised by doctors not to play his favourite instrument
since he had contracted asthma. Frustrated, he was disposing off some old
papers and Sri.Ramaswamy happened to get hold of an old notebook in which some
of the varnas of Palakkad Parameswara Bhagavatar and those of Mahadeva
Bhagavatar were written in Malayalam. He obtained the lyrics of some kritis of
Bhagavatar, about ten years ago at the Sathaaabhishekam of one of the
descendents.
The following chapters
will discuss some of his kritis and varnas from their textual and musical point
of view.
CHAPTER
FOUR
MELODIC AND TEXTUAL
ANALYSIS OF THE VARNAS OF
PALAKKAD PARAMESWARA BHAGAVATAR
Varnas are one of
those forms of musical compositions, which are used in the learning stage as
well as in the performance level. They belong to the sphere of, both the abhyasa
gaana and sabha gaana. Varnas are scholarly compositions containing
the special usages of the melodic phrases. Technically, for a learner the study
of varnas helps to understand and put to use the various combinations of the
raga ranjaka prayogas. Assiduous practice of varnas enables both the vocalists
and the instrumentalists to render the raga artistically. It develops the
manodharma of the performer, hence the improvisations like neraval and kalpana
swara can be done artistically.
There are two types of varnas viz. pada varna and taana varna.
In taana varna,
there is sahitya for the pallavi, anupallavi and charana passage. The mukthayi
swara and charana swara or ettugada swara are sung as solfeggios. Since the
swaras develop in the taana style with profuse use of taana jatis these are
called taana varnas. The sahitya in this type of varna is widely dispersed.
In this chapter, a
few taana varnas of Parameswara Bhagavatar are analysed.
VARNAS OF
PALAKKAD PARAMESWARA BHAGAVATAR
|
SNO.
|
VARNAS
|
RAGA
|
TALA
|
|
1
|
PADASARASA BHAKTIM
|
YADUKULA KAMBOJI
|
ADI
|
|
2.
|
SREE PADMANABHA
|
BEGADA
|
ADI
|
|
3.
|
PANNAGENDRA SAYANA
|
GOWLA
|
ADI
|
|
4.
|
SADUJANA
|
ARABHI
|
ADI
|
|
5.
|
SAMININNE
|
KALYANI
|
ADI
|
|
6.
|
SAMBHO MAHADEVA
|
KHAMAS
|
ADI
|
|
7.
|
SAM NEE TODI
|
TODI
|
ADI
|
|
8.
|
ANADAVALLI
|
BHAIRAVI
|
ADI
|
|
9.
|
STHANOONAATHAM
|
SANKARABHARANAM
|
ADI
|
|
10.
|
SARASIJANABHA
|
NATA
|
ADI
|
Varna
1
Padasaarasa bhaktim me dehi
Raga: Yadukula Kamboji Tala: Adi
Pallavi
Pada saarasa bhaktim me dehi
Paarvanendu sama vadane
Anupallavi
Vidhina
kanya kubjani ni-
vaasini sri sthaanu naatha priye
Charana
paahi
maam Himaachala kanye
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
In this Varna,
the composer at the very outset prays to Goddess Kanyakumari for granting him
devotion at Her feet and seeks protection. There is a reference to the
mythological story of the deity being unmarried and longingly waiting for her
Lord Sthanoonaatha who resides at Sucheendram about 14kms away. Kanyakubja is
also the name of the ancient city of North India,
which is now called Kanauj.
The Devata mudra and the Sthala mudra are present in the sahitya.
TRANSLATION
Pallavi
Please grant me devotion at your lotus like
feet
Oh! One whose face resembles the full moon
Anupallavi
Oh! The beloved of Sthaanoonaatha-an
epithet of Siva,
Who,
by the play of fate resides as a virgin of short stature.
Charana
Protect me, oh! Daughter of
Himaalayaas!
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
TEXTUAL
ANALYSIS
The two avartas of Pallavi together constitute one
paada or meaningful line. Also melodically the first avarta links with the
second. In Anupallavi, the paada includes the sahitya in the two avartas, since
the daatu and the maatu “nivaasini” forms the link between the two.
Hence the two avartas of both Pallavi and
Anupallavi have to be rendered continuously.
The gaanakrama is
“padasaarasa----vadane”-repeated twice before singing
“vidhina-----------priye”
twice.
The sahitya in the
Charana measures to one avarta comprising one paada; this meaningfully links to
the Sahitya of the Pallavi.
PROSODICAL
ANALYSIS
Prasa alankara
In this Varna the yati or first
letter rhyming is adhered to in both avartas of the poorvaanga sahitya.
Padasaarasa
paarvanendu in
the pallavi,
Vidhina
vaasini in the anupallavi
Dwiteeyaakshara
prasa or second letter rhyming between “da” and “dhi” is seen in Pa da in pallavi and vi dhi in anupallavi.
Anuprasa alankara
is found in the similar sounding letters as
Padasaarasa, kanya
kubhjani nivaasini and Sthaanoonaatha.
Antya prasa
relation is seen in the “i” ending words
dehi in the
pallavi and
“ni” in the anupallavi -which is also the sahitya for ateeta eduppu
for the next avarta.
Also the words
vadane in pallavi ,
priye in anupallavi and
kanye in the charana
have the last letter rhyming.
This helps to identify the paadaas.
MELODIC ANALYSIS
This varna is set in the raga
Yadukulakamboji, a janya of 28th mela raga Harikamboji. Arohana: s r
m g m p d s Avarohana: s n d p m g r g s
This varna
is another example showing the profuse usage of Swarakshara prayogas.
Suddha swarakshara-
The pallavi begins with this alankara.
×
p , d , s , n n d d p m p d n n d p , n d p p m g r r m g g r s
Pa da saa-----ra-sa- bhak----tim me---------- de---- hi---
In the anupallavi
First avarta
N n d d p p , d p m g g , m g r
r m g g r s r r m m p p n n d p
vi---dhi---naa-------- kan------ nyaa ------ku-------bja-nini---
and in the phrase n n d
p
nini---
both the nishada swaras take the same sounding alphabet “ni”, though the first
“ni” is the last letter in the word
“kubjani” and the second is the first of “nivaasini”. This shows the adeptness
of a true vaakgeyakaara.
×
P d
s p , m m p m g r m g g r s | r m g m p m p d p n n d d p d m ||
Paa – hi --- maa-----mhi ---ma-
cha---la - ----kan—nye------------
p
d s p,
Paa—hi,
the long “pa” forms the maatu for the daatu phrase p d s.
And in M
p m g r
Maa----m,
the long “ma” falls at madhyama and its sound “m” extends to the madhyama in
the phrase “mgr”.
Soochita swarakshara-
In the pallavi p
d n n d p ,
Bhak—tim
Here “bha” is the fourth consonantal variety of the pa vargaakshara
used for the swara panchama and
In “tim”, the first
variety with the vowel “e” sound in the t varga is used for the swara dhaivata.
In the anupallavi
in d d p –dhi--, the “e” sounding vowel of the alphabet “dh” is used
at the swara “dha”-dhaivata.
g
, m g r
Kan----
For the first swara gandhara conjunct consonant ka+n is used,
wherein ka is the first in “k” vargaakshara.
In the drutam of the first avarta of anupallavi
R
r m m p p
Ku-------Bja
-the letter bja is a conjunct consonant wherein the “b” the third in the
consonantal variety of “p” indicates the swara panchama.
M
p d s s r
Va------Si-
-the “e” sounding vowel of “s” falls under shadja.
Sree------
the conjunct consonant s+r with its long vowel sound “e” falls aptly under
shadja and rishabha.
Another interesting phrase is
s , d n n d
Sthaanu---,
where the conjunct consonant s+th with its long vowel “aa” adeptly comes at
shadja and dhaivatha; and
“nu” the fifth in the “t”
varga with its “ukaaraanth” takes the place of nishada.
In the charana at n n
d d p p m
Nye
- - - - --- the letter “nye” is
under nishada.
SWARAPRAYOGAS
Janta swara
prayogas like
n n d d – p d n n –r r m g g
r s in the first avarta of pallavi and
n n d d p p , d p m g g ,
r r m m p p n n ,
d n n d in the anupallavi, give vibrancy to the raga.
Prayogas like
s r m , p d m in
pallavi and
× × × ×
×
× ×
s r g r s d s, and s , d n n
d p m g s in anupallavi add melodic
beauty
to the varna.
“S , , s n d m p d
n d d p m p m g , ,m g r r , g r s s r m p d” the first avarta gradually
descends from taara shadja to madhya shadja in the avarohana krama and
immediately takes off to reveal arohana in full –thus giving the full scale.
The usage pmgmgr is rare.
In ettukada pallavi, rmgmpm and
pdpnnd occur as rare usage.
6 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 3 2 2 1
The second swara hovers between mandra panchama and madhya dhaivata.
The third has an interesting poruttam beginning with all the groups
beginning with “d p ,” {tisra} and a
five swara {khanda} pattern
Dp, + dmpdm
In the fourth swara,
First avarta begins at taara shadja, proceeds to madhya panchama as
an arudhi and the avrohana krama completed in sarva laghu pattern to take off
arohana krama.
The second has mgrgrs, which again is rare.
×
s , , n d p m g
s , r m p , m in the avarohana arohana pattern.
There is no full sarvalaghu avarta in this varna.
Varna 2
Sree Padmanaabhadaasa
Raga: Begada Tala:
Adi
Pallavi
Sree Padmanaabha daasa
Vamchipaala Raama varmendra
Anupallavi
Kulasekhara kireetapatimanyesultaan
Maharaajaraaja bhabhusamrakshavaan vijayate
Charana
Moolaadipate viraajate suramahendraiva
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
Maharaja
Kulasekara was a praise worthy ruler in the hierarchy of Vanchee
vamsa. This varna is in praise of the King who was great
lover of arts.
The raja mudra or the signature of the
patron is indicated.
TRANSLATION
Pallavi
Oh!
The servant of Lord Padmanabha,
Oh!
Raamavarma, the ruler of the Vanchee dynasty.
Anupallavi
Oh!
The crowned Emperor, Kulasekhara,
The
protector of the people of this land, May glory be to You!
Charana
Oh!
King born on the asterism Moola, Who shines like the God of Gods
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
The sahitya of the
pallavi and anupallavi totally take four avartaas.
The mukthayi swara
passage has four avartas. These eight avartas form the poorvanga of the varna.
The uttaranga of
the varna
consists of the charana sahitya of one avarta and the four chittaswaras. Among
these the first two have one avarta each, the third one has two and the fourth
has four avartas.
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
The sahitya in the
poorvanga “sree padmanaabhadaasa------------vijayate” forms one sentence with
the main clause. The rest “vamchi paala
raamavarmendra”, “Kulasekhara kireetapatimanyesultaan” and
“Maharaajaraajaraaja
bhabhusamrakshavaan” are attributes to “padmanaabha daasa”. This highlights the
fact that King Kulasekhara was more popular as the daasa of Lord Padmanaabha
than for His sovereignty.
The charana
sahitya “moolaadhipate--- mahendraiva” is another paada.
Musically it would
be apt to render the first two avartas in succession and then that of the
anupallavi.
The ganakrama of
the charana sahitya will be appropriate if it is linked to
the
sahitya of the anupallavi.
PROSODICAL ANALYSIS
There is
dwiteeyaakshara prasa between
“Kulasekhara in
anupallavi and mooladhipate in the charana where the sound “la” is rhyming.
We do not find
more prasa or muhana alankaras in this sahitya, which is more of a versified
prose.
MELODIC ANALYSIS
This varna
set in raga Begada -janya of the 29th mela raga Sankarabharana.
Arohana: s g r g m p d n , d p s Avarohana: s n d p m g r s
Swarakshara prayogas are used profusely.
Suddha
swarakshara:
Under the swara
phrase p m d m
The sahitya is pa .
dma where both “pa” and the
conjunct consonant “dma” fall under the respective sounding swaras.
In the druta of
the first avarta of anupallavi
s r , s
kireeta where the
dheerga rishabha is the note for “ree”
m g m p
man ye where
madhyama is the note for “man”
×
× ×
s n
r s
sam shar where
“sam” takes the note shadja.;in the druta of the second avarta of the
anupallavi.
In the charana
M d m g m r
Mahendraiva , “ma”
takes the swara madhyama.
Soochita swarakshara
In the Pallavi
×
S , r n d p
Sree- - - - the
conjunct consonant “sree” –the fifth variety of the “ya” varga + ree takes the
notes –shadja and rishabha.
P , m
Bha- the fourth vargakshara of the consonant
“pa” takes panchama
In the Charana
× ×
s n r n
su- ra- -the
ukaraantha variety of “s” takes shadja
and akaraantha variety of
“r” takes rishabha
SWARAPRAYOGAS
Prayogas
like the following are different from the traditional ones.
In the Anupallavi
s r, r s s m g
. .
. . . . . . .
snsr,s
rgmr,s
Mukthayi swara passage
.
. . .
s,spdprns
grs rn smgm pmdp
×
rns
mgm pm dm pdp,,,
×
. . . . .
. . .
nsnr,s
mgrs nrndp
In the Charana, the fourth chittaswara has
unique phrases:
dps
pd mp nd pm pmgrs in the second avarta
. .. . .
dp sn sr nr s, in the third avarta
. .
. . . . . . .. .. .
rs nrs mgrs rs, nsrn dp md pdpr in the last avarta.
In
the pallavi the eduppu swara on the outset is taara shadja and the druta
begins with its consonantal note panchama.
Hence the feel of padgarbha as
in Pallavi is felt.
The anupallavi has the avarohana krama
grouping –
Ndpm, dpmgr, pmgrs which is again repeated
in the third avarta of the
mukthayi swara passage.
The fourth avarta of the passage includes a
poruttam as it were-
. . .
rs,s
dp,p rs,s
In the charana the first chittaswara has
the grouping as
3
3 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 2 2 2
2 2
the second chittaswara
mgmp, mgm
pdpn, dpm | dmpd, pmg | mpdp, mgr||
has an interesting khanda- tisra
5 - 3 poruttam.
The third one instead of being in the usual
sarvalaghu pattern, has different
raga chaya formations with “p,” as the
graha swara.
The fourth does not begin with the usual
long kaarvai note.
. . . .
It begins with s s, p,m d,p s, n r n d p
“rndp, mgmrg, pmgmp” in the second avarta
is a sanchara which brings the
…
melodic beauty of raga Begada.
The third avarta has another tisra khanda
sanchara in
srs pmgrg dpm gmpdp
The range is between the mandra panchama
and taara madhyama.
Varna
3
Pannagendra sayana
Raga: Gowla
Tala: Adi
Pallavi
Panna gendra sayana sri
Padmanaabha deva maam paahi
Anupallavi
Sannutha sujana nikara
Samrakshana
Sri Bhoomi vara
Charana
Syanandoora pura vaasa
THEMATIC
ANALYSIS
This Varna is in praise of Lord
of Tiruvananthapuram also known as Syaanandoorapuram, where the presiding deity
Lord Padmanabha, is in the reclining posture. The composer entreats the Lord to
protect him.
The Devata mudra
and the Sthala mudra are indicated.
TRANSLATION
Pallavi
Oh! Lord Padmanabha- (One who has the bloomed lotus from his
umbilicus)-Who reclines on the Lord of serpents, protect me!
Anupallavi
Oh! Lord of the Earth! And the spouse of goddess Lakshmi,
One who guards the groups of the devoted and the noble people.
Charana
Oh! One who resides in Syaanandoorapura!
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
The poorvanga of
this varna
viz.Pallavi ,Anupallavi,and the Mukthaayi swara has eight avartas in all; the
Mukthayi swara alone has four avartas and two each for the Pallavi and
Anupallavi.
The uttaraanga viz.Charana sahitya alongwith the
Chittaswaras take nine avartas.
TEXTUAL
ANALYSIS
The two avartas of
Pallavi together constitute one paada or meaningful line.
Similarly that of Anupallavi, the paada
consists of the sahitya in the two
avartas. Hence the
two avartas in both have to be rendered
continuously.
The gaanakrama
is “pannagendra----paahi”-repeated twice before singing
“sannuta-----------bhoomivara”
The sahitya in the
Charana measures to one avarta comprising one paada; this meaningfully links to
the Sahitya of the Pallavi.
PROSODICAL ANALYSIS
Prasa alankara is
using rhyming lyrics as sahitya.
In Pallavi,
between Panna gendra and Padmanabha; and
in anupallavi,
between sannuta and samrakshana,
we see the first letter rhyming, yati or mohna as it is termed.
Dwiteyakshara
Prasa or second letter rhyming occurs between
Pannagendra
in Pallavi and sannuta in Anupallavi .
Anuprasa beauty in
samrakshana sri
bhumi vara,
sayana-sri,
sujana
nikara,where similar sounding letters are used add lilting beauty to
the lyrics.
Antya prasa
relation is maintained
in the pallavi as
at sri – pahi and
in the anupallavi
at Nikara-vara .
MELODIC ANALYSIS
This varna is set in the raga
Gaula –the janya of the 15th mela Mayamalavagaula.
Arohana: s r m
p n s Avarohana: s n p m r g m r s
First avarta
of Pallavi
×
× ×
pan na……………gend ra.. sa.. ya….na- sri - - - - - - -
Here p - pan, g -
ge, r - ra, s r s – sa--, ns—na-, r r – sri apart from “pa” in pan and “ri” in
sri others are soochita swaraaksharas.
p m p n m p
n s r s , n p n s r
pa .. . dma….na…bha.de……
Here p-pa, n s- na are suddha and soochita respectively.
Also at “n m p”
“dma” of padma hints suddha swarakshara since melodically “dma” falls under the
madhyama swara.
× ×
×
×
p n s r n s r
sam--ra----- at r- ra
occurs as soochita swarakshara.
×
s , , n p
m n p p m g , m r r s
Sya…….
nan du……. ra…
here s
-sya , n p- nan,
rrsn – ra….all three are of the soochita type.
SWARAPRAYOGAS
The following
swara usages enhance the melodic entity of the raga Gaula.
Janta Prayogas like m r r s , -s r s s n p-r r p m-
m p n n p p m g-
r , m r r s -s
s r r m m p p
Dhatu Prayogas
like r m r p m - s m r s- n p m p- n p s
n- n p n m p r
Vakra Prayogas: g
m r s r m - p m p n p m p r m r p m g m
r s
N p n m p- s r n s p n p r s
The prastaara at the end of the Mukthayi swara
“s n p m g g , m r s
n , , s r m”
includes a strange but full avarohana pattern of raga Gaula.
Ragachaaya
Prayogas:
The first
chittaswara in the charana
S,, n,, p,m,,g,,m,r,,s,,r,,, m,, p,n wherein the avarohana and aarohana
pattern is used and
the fourth chittaswara-
S , , r r s s s n
n p p m g m r , , m r s n p n s r s r m p n
enhance the melodic entity of the varna.
Yati pattern viz.
srotovahayati as in the third charana
swara is interesting.
Pns mpns rmpns
rmpn
Swaraprastaara:
3 3 2 3 3 2 3 3 4 3 2 1
The second has a
unique usage in g , m r m r s
The third has
p,, p,
mpnp,m g,m r m r,,r,,
in the first avarta
and the second has
a sarvalagu pattern.
In the fourth swara the second avarta follows
sarvalghu pattern.
S r n s p n p-r s
n p m-g m r s-r m r s n p n s r-s r m p m n p
Here the third
avarta has an unusual prayoga in
N
p n m , m p m p g , m r m m , m r m r s n
The
fourth has an unusual prayoga in the laghu as in
n
s r g m g m r s n
and
the druta gives the full avarohana and arohana formation
s n p m g , m r s
n , s r m p n
Range or sthayi
variation is appropriate to this tristhaayi raga.
nsrgmrmrsn smrs srgmrmrs
mandrasthaayi prayogas in the phrases
snpns snpn,spns npn,s rsn,
the taara staayi madhyama and the mandra
sthaayi panchama are touched
being the amsa swara prayogas of this raga.
Varna 4
Saadhusujanavara Samooha
Raga: Arabhi Tala:
Adi
Pallavi
Saadhu sujana vara samooha
Samrakshana saure paalayamaam
Anupallavi
boothaakaara swaroopa
bhogeendra sayana sree bhoomi vara
Charana
pada pankaja bhakthim me dehi
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
This Varna is in praise of Lord
Vishnu, the divine consort of Goddess Lakshmi and Earth. The composer seeks the
protection and aspires for devotion. The Lord is described as reclining on Aadi
Sesha in the assemblage of the goddesses. But there is no term used as mudra to
indicate the Kshetra.
TRANSLATION
Pallavi
Oh! Lord, One who is adept at protecting groups of pious, noble and
hence great people, please protect me!
Anupallavi
Oh! The Lord of Mother Earth and Goddess Lakshmi, you who are
enormously sized and lying on the King among serpents
Charana
Please
grant me devotion at your lotus like feet
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
With eight avartas
in the poorvanga and nine in the uttaranga the sahitya in the charana links to
that in the pallavi.
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
The theme of the Varna is explicit in the
first two avartas. The next two convey
the attributes of the Lord. The charana sahitya reiterates the prayer of the
devotee.
PROSODICAL
ANALYSIS
The first padaas-
saadhu and samrakshana in pallavi, and
bhoothaakaara and bhogeendra
in anupallavi comply with the
mohna vyavasta or first letter alliteration.
The first word in
the charana sahitya padapankaja has
prasa combination with the vargakshara “bh” in the anupallavi.
MELODIC ANALYSIS
This Varna
is set in raga Arabhi-a janya of 29th mela raga Sankarabharanam.
Arohanam: s r m p d s Avarohanam: s n d p m g r s
Swarakshara
prayogas
s , n
d d p
saa- dhu- - at “saa” suddha and at “dhu”
soochita swarakshara
s s r r m , ,
sa- - - moo at “sa” suddha and at “moo”
soochita swarakshara
m p d r s,
sau - -re- at “re” soochita swarakshara
m p d
maam
at “maam” soochita swarakshara
p , ,
d p m
bhootha— at “bhoo” and at “thaa”
soochita swarakshara
r m p d s ,
roo-----pa at “roo” soochita swarakshara
s r m g r
sa- ya—na
at “sa” soochita swarakshara
s , n d
sree- - at “sree” soochita swarakshara
g r s r ,
va- -ra at “ra” soochita
swarakshara
p, d, p d n d
padapan- -
-kaja at “pa” and “da” suddha
swarakshara
Swaraprayogas
The Varna begins at the tara
shadja proceeding in the avarohana krama upto the mandra dhaivata and then
takes off to a complete arohana.
The anupallavi
begins at the consonantal note panchama.
The mukthai swara
has vakra prayogas like
janta usages
as rrsnd rs,nddpp,.
The first charana
swara has the combination
6 2
2 4 2
2 4 6
2 2
The second has
interesting groups with nyasa at “p,”
The third ends in a srotovaha yati pattern “p,ds-mpds-r,mpd-srm”
The last ends in a poruttam like combination
.
.
s,ndp mpd sd pdp, mgr snd,srm
.
.
Varna
5
Saami nine nammitiraa
Raga: Kalyani
Tala:
Adi
Pallavi
Saami
ninne nammitiraa
Samayamide brovavayya
Anupallavi
Bhoomilo neeku
sariledani
Pogaduchunna
Kulaseskhara maharaja udaara
Charana
Gaanalola sikhamani
neeve
THEMATIC
ANALYSIS
This Varna
is in praise of King Kulasekhara. Hence this Varna is an nrpasthuthi or raajathuthi of the
great King who was a patron of fine arts. It shows the great regard the
composer had towards the King. The naama mudra of the patron viz. “Kulasekhara”
is used.
The lyrics are in
Telugu.
TRANSLATION
Pallavi
Oh! Master, I have reposed faith in you!
This
is the (apt) time please protect!
Anupallavi
There is none equal to you on Earth.
One who is proclaimed as the generous King Kulasekhara!
Charana
You alone are the gem among the Monarchs who are ardent lovers of
music.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
The poorvanga consists of six avartas, viz. the pallavi, anupallavi
and the mukthayi swara passage, have two avartas each.
The uttaranga has nine avartas viz. an
avarta of charana sahitya, the first two charanaswaras have one avarta each,
the third has two and the fourth has four.
TEXTUAL
ANALYSIS
The two avartas of Pallavi together constitute one
paada or meaningful line.
Similarly in Anupallavi, the paada consists
of the sahitya in the two.
Hence the two
avartas in both Pallavi and Anupallavi should be rendered continuously.
The gaanakrama is
“pannagendra----paahi”-repeated twice before singing
The sahitya in the
Charana measures to one avarta comprising one paada; this meaningfully links to
the sahitya of the Pallavi.
PROSODICAL ANALYSIS
Prasa alankara
Aadi prasa seen at
Pallavi among the words-
Saami and samaya,
and at Anupallavi between the padaas
bhoomi and pogadu.
Dviteeyaakshara
prasa is found in the first avarta of the pallavi -
Saami and nammiti where the second letter “mi”
occurs.
Anuprasa alankara
“na” as in ninne
nammiti
“ma”as in
samayamide in pallavi,
“ra” reccuring in
“Kulasekara Maharaja udara” in the second avarta of the Anupallavi, and the
sound of
“n” in “gaana lola sikhamani neeve” of charana
add lilt to the sahitya.
MELODIC
ANALYSIS
This Varna is set in the raga
Kalyani-the 65th mela raga
Arohana: s r g
m p d n s Avarohana: s n d p m
g r s
Sudha swaraakshara
occurances
Pallavi s , n dpd
n d p m
Sa mi--
nin in the first avarta,
“sa” and “ni” fall under shadja and nishada.
S n s
Sa—maya
The second avarta begins with “sa” at shadjam.
Anupallavi s r g pm g d d, n
Sarile-------
da ni
In
the first avarta, the syllables of sahitya
“sa
ri” and “da ni” befittingly falls under
shadja , rishaba, dhaivata and nishada.
In
the second, p d , n
Udhaara, the “dhaa” and dhaivata match.
Charana g,,m--------mdpd
nnddpm
Gaana ma
ni nee---ve , “gaa” ,”ma”and “nee” occur at gandhara madhyama and nishada
respectively.
Soochita
swarakshara occurs at
Pallavi D
, nsr gmpdn
Nammiti-------ra------“ti”
falls under dhaivata.
Anupallavi
P, mg
Bhoo—mi,
“bhoo”falls under panchama.
G r s ,n d
Kulasekhara “ku”
falls under gandhara
And
“se” falls under shadja
Varna 6
Sambho Mahadeva
Raga Khamas Tala
Adi
Pallavi
Sambho Mahadeva chandra
chooda
sankara deena bandho maamava
Anupallavi
ambujaasanaadi vandhya
aasrita jana paala sree kantesa
Charana
mandha haasa vadanaa mahaanubhaava
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
A Varna in praise of Lord Shiva, at the temple Sreekantesa
koil in Kerala.
A sthava varna on the Lord
Sreekantesa with various epithets of Siva. The composer portrays the Lord as
the kin of needy souls like him.
TRANSLATION
Pallavi
Oh!Sankara,
My protector , friend of my needy self,
Sambho, one who wears the crescent on the
head!
Anupallavi
One
who is worshipped by Ambhujaasana{Brahma} and other gods
The
rescuer of the people who seek refuge, oh! Lord with the blue neck.
Charana
Oh!
Great One, with an ever-smiling face!
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
The Varna has eight avartas in
the poorvanga and nine in the uttaranga.
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
The two avartas of
the pallavi together form a paada and those of the anupallavi also form a
meaningful sentence, hence the gaanakrama has to be such that they are repeated
twice together.
Musically also
they are linked to each other.
The sahitya as a
single paada in the charana describes the good-natured greatness of Lord Shiva
and serves as the description of the deity.
PROSODICAL
ANALYSIS
The antya prasa in
the pallavi
chandra chooda
maa mava
The ‘a’ ending
words chooda and mava conform to the anthya prasa alankaara.
Similarly, in
anupallavi,
Vandhya
Shree kantesa
Here again ‘dhya’
and ‘sa’ are ‘a’ ending.
The aadhi prasa or
mohna is adhered to in the pallavi as
Shambho
Shankara and in
anupallavi as
Ambuja
Aasrutha.
Here but the hrsva
and dheerga niyama is not adhered to.
The
dwitheeaakshara prasa is not found in the paadaas of pallavi or anupallavi,
but in the charana sahithya after the
pada garbha in
‘mandha haasa vadanaa’
the next pada begins with ‘mahaanu bhaavaa’.
Anu prasa
alankaara is found in the words:
‘aasritha jana and
shreekantesa’
‘chandra chooda’
‘mandha haasa
vadanaa’
MELODIC
ANALYSIS
The Varna is set in raga
Khamas-a baashanga variety janya of 28th mela Harikamboji. The
bhashanga prayoga is in the phrase s n s d n where both varieties of the same
note nishada occur.
Arohanam: s m g m
n d n p d n s Avarohana: s n d p m
g r s
SWARAPRAYOGAS
The graha eduppu
of the varna is
taara sthyaayi shadja proceeding to complete the avarohana in the first
aavartha of the pallavi. The second aavartha has vakra prayogas and ends in a
porutham as in
r s , n d p d p m m , n d p d n
The anupallavi
begins with madhya sthaayi panchama, which is the consonantal note of shadja.
It ends with another consonantal swara prayoga in m,d,,,
The second
aavartha of the anupallavi again has a vakra prayoga traveling in the range of
taara sthaayi madhyama and madhya sthaayi nishadha.
The vakra prayoga
in the mukthayi swara
s d n s n d p m d
g m d
S m g m n d p m p
d m,
M g m n d , d p d
n d s n
D p g m n d p d n
s
highlight the
baashanga usage of the nishadha in the raga Khamas.
The mukthayi swara
ends with the porutham
R s , n d p d m ,
g r s m g , m n d , n
SWARASANCHARAS
The swara grouping
in the charana swaras are
6 4 4 3 3 3 3 4 1
2
Here the gaandhara
swara with one kaarvai is a rarely seen nyaasa for a chittai swara.
The second
aavartha hovers between madhya sthaayi panchama and mandhra sthaayi panchama
being vakra throughout.
The third swara
has four different sancharaas beginning with madhyama and proceeding in a vakra
pattern to link to the charan sahithya which again has the graha swara
madhyama.
Varna
7
Saamini toditeve
Raga: Todi Tala:
Adi
Pallavi
Saamini todi teve naa
Sakhiyaro eevela naa sakkani
Anupallavi
Kaamitaarthamulichche sree
Kamalanaabha deva devesuni
Charana
Daanavakula maddhanudaina
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
This Varna is in praise of Lord
Kamalanaabha, an epithet for Lord Vishnu.
This is one of the two varnas where the
composer has used Telugu language for
the lyrics.
The emotion
underlined herein is srngara or madhurabhakthi.
Kamalanaabha is
the Nayaka and the composer in the words of devoted Nayika entreats her friends
to get her Lord so that she can vent her feelings and pour out her prayers.
TRANSLATION
Pallavi
Please
bring, my Lord, along with you
Oh! Friends, to me, now, gracefully!
Anupallavi
He
who grants the wishes and desires
Lord
Kamalanaabha, the Lord among lords!
Charana
He
who destroys the entire lineage of the demons!
STRUCTURAL
ANALYSIS
The pallavi,
anupallavi and mukthayi swara together consist of eight avartas. The charana
and chittaswara together have eight avartas. Unusually the third chittaswara
has only one avarta.
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
The two avartas of
the pallavi together form a paada and those of the anupallavi also form a
meaningful sentence, hence the gaanakrama has to be such that they are repeated
twice together.
Melodically also they sound aesthetic when
rendered together.
The charana sahitya connects to the word
saamini in the pallavi.
PROSODICAL ANALYSIS
The long vowel extension in Saamini, kaamita
and daanava give the
alliterating feel. The
charana sahitya has anuprasa alankara in the repeated
usage of the syllable “da”. Antya prasa between “sakkani” and
“devesuni”
conform to prosodical rules.
MELODIC ANALYSIS
Swarakshara
alankaras
. …
. . .
. ..
S,,rrs snrs
nsd,nsr
Sa—m-ni- - to- -
.
s n d d ,
Sa - -khi
.
. .
d n s n d g r n d
n
Naa-cha- kka - -
n
.
g , , m n d dndm,
gm,--------gmdns,,,
Kaa mi
thaartha mu che
sree
.
d,, nsnd --------
ndm
Da- -nava-- na--
SWARAPRAYOGAS
g g m g m d d ,
the janta prayoga is characteristic of the raga Todi.
m d n g m d
r g m s r n g r s
m g m d m g is a vakra swara
×
group,
highlighting the essence of the raga.
. .
. . .
. . . .
. . .
n d n s r n r n s
d , n s g r s n r s n s d n d s d,, the
dhaivata nyasa vakra
prayoga is a
significant usage.
. . .
g ,r s n n , d
m g , r s r g , m d , n
is also an interesting end to the
mukthayi swara
passage.
In
this varna we
have a wholly panchama swara varjya mukthayi swara passage.
In the whole of
the varna, at
the phrase
.
s n d p m g m n d n –in the first avarta of the
pallavi alone panchama occurs
in the varna.
The first
chittaswara of the charana has the grouping as
3 3
3 3 3
3 3 3
3 2 2 1
the third charana
swara is a sarvalaghu in a vakra pattern hovering between
the
mandradhaivata and madhya nishada.
The fourth starts
at the taara shadja and proceeds in a
vakra tisra group as
. .
. .
s , , r n s
d n s m d n m g n d
n , ,
The second and
third avarta are in sarvalaghu pattern with daatu and vakra
swara sancharas.
The fourth avarta
.
. . .
. . . .
n s r g , r s
n d n s r , s n d n d m g , r s n d n s r , g , m
× × ×
has an
interesting poruttam to link to the
charana sahitya.
The range of the varna is between mandra
dhaivata antara gandhara
Varna 8
Aanandavallee maheswari
Pallavi
Aanandavallee maheswari
Aasritajana paripaalini
Anupallavi
Maanitasugunacharite
Mangalamoorthe neelakantajaaye
Charanam
Bhairavi padmanaabhasahodari maamava
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
Padmanaabha,
whose shrine is located at Tiruvanathapuram.
TRANSLATION
Pallavi
Oh!
Great goddess Anandavalli,
Who
fosters those of who is dependant (on you)
Anupallavi
One
who follows the virtuous and honourable path
Oh!
Symbol of Auspiciousness! the consort of Lord Neelakanta.
Charana
Oh!
My goddess Bhairavi, Lord Padmanabha’s sister!
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
The poorvanga has eight and the uttaranga
has nine avartas similar to
traditional varnams.
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
The sahitya eulogizes goddess Aanandavalli as the virtuous divine
consort of Lord Siva and the affectionate sister of Lord Vishnu.
The addressing of the Goddess as Bhairavi furnishes the raga mudra.
PROSODICAL ANALYSIS
In “Aanandavalli” and “aasrita” and
in “maanita” and “mangala” the first letter rhyming is found.
Antya prasa is adhered to in “maheswari” and “paalini” and in
“charite” and “jaaye”
MELODIC ANALYSIS
Set
in raga Bhairavi the janya of 20th mela Natabhairavi raga with the
name
of the raga used as an epithet for the
goddess is apt.
Swarakshara alankaras adorn the varna:
n , d
Aa
nanda
.
P r
Pa ri
M , , , , n d d n d p d, d p m
Ma- - - ni- - - - - - tha
.
D n s ,
Cha ri te
- -
. . . .
N g r
r s n
Nee - -la - -
P , ,
Bhairavi
P , m
Padma
. .
S n
, d
r
Sa ho
dha ri
SWARAPRAYOGAS
Mndpd mpd,p mdp mpm with the characteristic
Bhairavi madhyama brings the melodic beauty of the raga.
n,dp g,rs
n,dp is an apt poruttam
The swara grouping
in the first chittaswara 5 3 5 3 3
2 2 1 3 2 2 1
The third
chittaswara has an interesting passage with “p,” as the graha eduppu.
The fourth chittaswara unlike the usual
dheerga eduppu begins with
. .
s s, p p , s , s
pdpndnp,
srs pmg rgr dpm
. .
.
drsr
dpdm
. .
. . . . . . .
nsrgm dnsrg
pdnsr
Varna 9
Sthaanoonatham
Raga: Sankarabharanam Tala: Adi
Pallavi
Sthaanoonatham bhajare manasa
Saadhoojana samrakshana seelam
Anupallavi
Vaaninaatham sannutha seelam
Vaanchitaartha phala daanalolam
Charanam
Paahimaam mahesa sucheendra puraadeesa
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
This varna is in the form of a
prayer to Lord Shiva of Sucheendram, where He is known as Sthaanoonaatha!
TRANSLATION
Pallavi
Oh!
Mind, Pray to Lord Sthaanoonatha,
Whose
virtue is to protect the pious people.
Anupallavi
Who
is worshipped by the consort of Saraswathi{Lord Brahma}
Who
rejoices in granting the wishes of the devotees
Charana
Oh!
Lord of Sucheendrapura, please protect me.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
The poorvanga has eight and the uttaranga
has nine avartas.
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
The theme of the varna is disclosed in the sahitya of the
first avarta.
The sahitya of the next three avartas respectively qualify the subject
of the
varna viz. Lord Sthaanoonatha.
Musically, each avarta ends in the phrase
“pdn” ,hence the ganakrama may
be such that each avarta sung twice
individually or the anupallavi sung
after pallavi.
The sahitya in the Charana addresses the
Lord of Sucheendram and hence
conveys complete sense.
PROSODICAL ANALYSIS
Sthaanu and
saadhu in the pallavi and vaani and vaanchi in the anupallavi
somewhat adhere
to the muhana - prasa niyama. The antya prasa is evident
in seelam and
lolam.
The anuprasa in
phala daana lolam adds lilt to the sahitya.
MELODIC ANALYSIS
Set in Sankarabharana raga- the 29th
mela gives grandeur to the sahitya.
Suddha swarakshara are found in
M g
r s
Mana- sa
where “ma” falls under madhyama and “sa” falls under shadja.
S n s
Sa-- where
“sa” falls under shadja.
S r g
San-- where
“sa” falls under shadja.
P,,
Pahi where
“pa” falls under panchama.
Mpmg
Mam-- where
“ma” falls under madhyama.
Suchitha Swarakshara found in
S,,
Stha- here the conjunct consonant S+tha
falls under Shadja
R,,
Re-The Ekaraantha variety of ‘R’ falls
under rishabha
Snpdn
Seelam - here the fifth variety
vargaksharam of ‘Ya’ falls under shadja.
Pdns
Phala -here the second vargaakshara of ‘P’
falls under panchama.
In the charana Srgrgm dp,
mpgm
S,, Suchin
drapu
Here the fifth of the Ya varga falls under
shadja and the ukaaraantha variety
of “pa” falls under panchama.
SWARA PRAYOGAS
The pallavi begins with taara shadja and the ending
phrase mgmpdn
providing a link to the graha. In the second aavartha
the last phrase srgmpdn
is the aarohana sthaayi. In the third aavartha of the
poorvanga, in the phrase-
pmgrsn snpdn, from
mandra n to madhya s an octave link is provided. The fourth aavartha has a rare
janta prayoga in- snrr,n.
In the pdns, ndp,
mgm, a porutham of 5
4 4 is seen.
In the mukthai
swaram- first aavartha ends in the full aarohana prayoga.
In the last
aavartha pdns,ndp, mgrs, there is a porutham of
5 4 5.
All the
charanaswaras have madhyama as the nyaasa swara linking them to the panchama of
the charana sahitya.
The first swara
has the grouping 6 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 2.
The second swara
hovers between madhya sthaayi gandhara and madhyama proceeding downwards up to
the mandhra sthaayi panchama.
The third swara
confirms to the traditional sarvalagu pattern but is a complicated vakra
prayoga. There is a strange sanchara in pdp rsn psn dp.
The fourth swara
begins with s,,s,, and proceeds in the avarohana krama in groups of twos-sn sr
ns dn pd s and s,,dpmp,,mg highlights
raga melody.
The second
aavartha ends in the unusual phrase pmgrn.
The third has an
interesting tisra pattern in srs pmg
rgr dpm.
The fourth has a
raga chaaya prayoga in sgrgmgrgs, and ndpndnsndnp,mgmgrs,.
Varna 10
Sarasijanaabha
Raga:
Nata Tala:
Adi
Pallavi
Sarasijanaabha
maam paahi
Sakalabhuvanavandhya
charana
Anupallavi
Varasyaanandoorapuradheera
Vyaasaadhimunivara
sannuta charita
Charana
Maanita
suguna seela
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
A varna in praise of Lord
Padmanaabha of Tiru Anananthapura gives
glowing
tributes of the diety and the description of the posture.
TRANSLATION
Pallavi
Oh!
Lord from whose umbilicus the lotus blooms, please protect me
Whose feet the whole Universe worships
Anupallavi
Oh!
The brave one who resides in the great Syaanandoorapura
Whose
feet is attained by the great sages like Vyasa
Charana
Oh!
One, whose character is virtuous and honourable
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
The first avarta
reveals the prayer of the composer to the deity in a single paada and the next
avartas gives the attributes of the Lord. This Sthava varna has eight avartas in the poorvanga and
nine for the uttaranga.
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
The sahitya of all
avartas link to that of the Pallavi and make complete sense in as much as they
are qualifying epithets of Lord Sarasijanabha.
PROSODICAL
ANALYSIS
The first words in
the avartas of the pallavi - Sarasija
and sakala, and in anupallavi –
vara and vyaasa conform to first letter rhyming.
The sound of “ra” in sarasija and vara of pallavi and anupallavi adhere to
the dviteeyakshara prasa niyama
In “Vara syaanandoora pura dheera” the anuprasa effect
is given by the repeated sound of “ra”.
MELODIC ANALYSIS
The varna
set in raga Naata, a janya of Chalanata, the 36th mela.
Arohana: s r
g m p d n s Avarohana: s n p m g m r s
The arohana is rendered as sampoorna correctly according to ancient
tradition.
Swarakshara alankara
Suddha swarakshara
In the pallavi
s s , and s n
s r
Sa ra sa
–ka
And in the second avarta of the anupallavi
S,npn
San-- the letter sa takes
the tara shadja note.
In the charana M , ,
n p m
Ma--
ni - - the letters “ma” and “ni”
take the notes
madhyama and nishada respectively.
Soochita swaraksharas are seen in
Pallavi S n p
Si- ja under shadja, the ikaraantha “s”
M g p m n p r
Cha ra na-- for
nishada the nasal vargakshara“na” of tavarga.
Anupallavi G p m r r s
Dhoo—ra—under rishabha the letter
“ra”
S
n s r r s
Pu- -
ra - - under rishabha the letter “ra”
Charana S n p m g m,
Su-gu- - - - under shadja the
ukaraantha “s”
SWARAPRAYOGAS
First avarta of the pallavi beginning with the tara
shadja traverses throughout in avarohana and arohana krama, thus giving the
full contour of the scale.
The vakra prayogas snsrnspnp- -mgpmnpr -pnsrns and
The dhaatu prayogas gmpnm, -gpm-pnpss-sr,nrssn-
Spnm,p nmpg,m nsnr,s heighten the ranjakatva –melody of the raga.
In the mukthayi swara the sancharas - ns, sp, ps, and rs,s np,p
rs,s covering the consonant notes are interesting.
There are also groups of notes covering the full arohana “s r g m p
d n s”
In the third charana swara the nyasa at “ma,” is used interestingly-
M, m, pmm, npmm, pmgm, gmrsmgmsrgm,, pm, nm, snm, pdnsrgm,
The third avarta in the fourth chittaswara
Sns pnmnp nmp gm srns pnp snrs mgmp npdn is a sarvalaghu avarta.
SUMMARY
In the varnas we find
that the swara group patterns of the arohi, avarohi, sthayi and sanchari types
are inter woven gracefully into the texture of the sahitya and they make good
concert pieces as well as practise lessons for learning the nuances of the
ragas. The next chapter deals with
the analysis of the kritis of Parameswara Bhagavatar.
CHAPTER FIVE
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
OF THE
KRITIS
OF
PALAKKAD
PARAMESWARA BHAGAVATAR
In this chapter an attempt is made to examine the
literary beauties of the kritis composed by Palakkad Parameswara Bhagavatar.
Unlike
his varnas, which are available in their original musical setting, what is
obtained thus far are only the lyrics of his kritis with their respective ragas
and talas mentioned in the collection of Sri N.P.Ramaswamy- the great grand son
of Palakkad Parameswara Bhagavatar.
An analytical study of these compositions is
done based upon the features like its structure, theme and literary aspects.
The structural analyses deals with the form, the sections
or angas, decorative elements, distribution of syllables and prosodical
beauties.
The
thematic analysis is about the language used, context, meaning, category and if
any patron, diety or puranic theme used.
The
musical analysis about the selection of raga with respect to the lyrics alone
could be made since the original setting in which the lyrics are set is not
available.
By
their structure the compositions taken for this particular study fall under the
form of “kritis”, where in “pallavi”, “anupallavi” and “charana” being the
different sections in that order respectively. The “kritis” have a single charana of varying
lengths. These different sections are the essential angas of the form called
“kriti” in Karnatic music.
The
language used is Sanskrit, for all the six kritis that are analyzed here. The
theme depicted in each of them is assessed from the literary meaning of the
words, with mythological references in some cases.
KRITIS
OF
PALAKKAD PARAMESWARA
BHAGAVATAR
|
NO.
|
KRITI
|
RAGA
|
TALA
|
|
1.
|
SREE MAHAGANAPATIM
|
NATA
|
ADI
|
|
2.
|
SARSWATIM ASRAYAMI
|
KHAMAS
|
ADI
|
|
3.
|
SUBRAMANYAM
|
ARABHI
|
ADI
|
|
4.
|
BHAVAYE VISWESWARAM
|
SANKARABHARANA
|
CHAAPU
|
|
5.
|
HARA SIVA SAMBHO
|
KAPI
|
CHAAPU
|
|
6.
|
MAMAVA SIVA SAMBHO
|
BEGADA
|
RUPAKA
|
Kriti 1.
Raga Naata Sree mahaganapatim bhajare Tala Adi
Pallavi
Sree mahaganpatim
bhajare re manasa
Sritajanapaaalanam
gajaananam
Anupallavi
Vaamadeva tanayam
gunanilayam vaasavaadhi vandhita
subhanichayam
Komalatara
pallavapadayugalam kumkumaruchi sobhita
lalita tanum
Kaamitaphaladayaka
kalpatarum kankanaruchisobhita
karayugalam
Charana
Paasankusa modaka
kalitakaram pankeruhasannibha netravaram
Sreesaabjaja vanditam
atiruciram srungaara viraajita dantimukham
Bhaasitavarakaanchanamayamanigana
sudhaamsulabhalaalita nijamakutam
Vaasavamukhasevita
padaabjayuga vaancitaphaladaayaka guhasahajam
TRANSLATION
Pallavi
The composer entreats his
own mind to worship Lord Ganesha-sree Mahaganapatim bhajare re maanasa
and gives a picturesque description of the Lord and his attributes.
The
elephant faced God- Gajaananam who protects those who take refuge in
Him-sruta jana paalanam
Anupallavi
He is the son of Lord
Siva-vaamadeva tanayam
The abode of virtues- Guna
nilayam
Worshipped by Lord Indra and other Gods-vaasavaadhi
vandhita
Who will certainly bestow
welfare to the devotees-subha nicayam
Who has a pair of soft feet which are
soft like the petals of lotus-komala tara pallava
pada yugalam
Whose slender body is
adorned by the colour of saffron-kumkuma ruci sobhita lalita tanum
Who is the wish-yielding
tree granting the boons of the seeker-kaamita phala daayaka kalpatarum
Whose pair of hands
dazzle because of various types of bangles and bracelets- gana shobhita
karayugalam
Charana
Who holds in His palms,
the weapons like the noose, the elephant’s goad-a stick with a pointed end like
a spike and a hook at the other end, and the sweet filled cake called modaka-paasaankusa
modaka kalita karam
Whose beautiful eyes are
like the petals of water-lily- pankeruha sannibha netra varam
Who is worshipped by
Brahma- who is born out of the umbilicus of the Lord of Goddess Lakshmi- sreesaabjaja
vanditam
Whose face is the most
radiant- athiruciram
The elephant faced God
who is attractive due to the marks made with red lead on the elephant’s body- srngara
viraajita danti mukham
Whose golden crown is
studded by the lustrous shining gemstones, pearls and many precious stones and
caressed by the moonlight- bhaasita vara kaancana maya manigana sudhaamsu
laalita nija makutam
Whose pair of lotus-like
feet is chiefly worshiped by Lord Indra- Vaasava mukha sevita padaabjayuga
Who fulfills the wishes
sought by the devotees- vaancita phala daayaka
Who is the whole blood brother of Lord Muruga-
guha sahajam
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
This kriti is sung in
praise of Lord Ganesha, the remover of all inauspicious events. The language
used is Sanskrit.
PROSODICAL ANALYSIS
The literary beauty is brought out in the rhyming usages
throughout the kriti.
There is correspondence of the Muhanaa syllables or its
substitutes at the commencement of the avarta –for example:
Sree maha ganapathim and
Srita jana in pallavi.
Vaamadeva,Vaasavaadhi and
Komalatara, Kaamita phala in anupallavi.
Paasaankusa, Pankeruha
Sreesaabhjaja, srngaara
Bhaasita,Vaasavamukha in charana.
In the last case “vaa” occurs for “bhaa” is an
allowed substitute.
All the muhanaa syllables
are of the consonant variety.
The antya prasa or the
last letter sound rhyming of the avartas is maintained throughout the
anupallavi.
Guna nilayam
Subha
nicayam
Lalita tanum
yugalam
and
also in the charana
karam
varam
ruciram
mukham
makutam
sahajam
This usage of antya prasa
helps us to identify the beginning of each avarta or tala cycle and also
differentiate the rhythmic setting.
For instance in the
anupallavi, the line
Vaamadeva tanayam
gunanilayam vaasavaadhi vandhita
subhanichayam
is in the medium tempo or
madhyama kaala whereas the line
Komalatara pallavapadayugalam kumkumaruchi sobhita lalita tanum
Kaamitaphaladayaka
kalpatarum kankanaruchisobhita
karayugalam
is to be rendered in the
next tempo or dhurita kaala.
Dwiteeyakshara prasa is
seen in anupallavi as
komala and kaamita;
and in the charana as
paasaankusa and
sreesaabja,
bhaasita and vaasava.
Anupraasa alankara, where the repeated sound
of certain syllables adds lilting beauty is found in the following phrases.
sritajana paalanam
gajaananam- “na”
vaasavaadhivandhita-the
sound of “vaa” is repeated.
kaamita
---kalpa----kangana---karayugalam- the syllable “ka” is repeated.
sudhaamsulabha laalita- “su” and “la” are the syllables continuously
used.
vaasavamukha sevita-the
syllable “va” is repeated.
SYLLABLE ANALYSIS
The
deerga and hrasva niyama of prasa-long and short syllable use is also
adhered to.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
By its structure
the composition belongs to the kriti category.
The sahitya is
divided into angas as pallavi, anupallavi and carana.
Pallavi has seven
padaas.
Anupallavi has
seven padaas.
Charana has seven
padaas.
The pallavi has
two paadaas or two meaningful lines.
Anupallavi has four paadaas or lines. Of
these, the third and fourth are double in length as that of the first and
second lines, which indicates that the later two lines have to be rendered in
the dhurita kaala or in double the speed of the former lines. Thus these lines
will be completely rendered in the faster speed to complete them in a single
cycle of the tala.
The charana has six lines or paadaas.
Here the last two lines being double in length have to be sung in the dhurita
kaala, so that they are completed within two cycles of the tala.
There is a perfect balance of six
avartas each for pallavi and anupallavi – the purvanga, and the charana –the
uttaraanga of the kriti.
The sabdalankaras, beauty in the sound
of words as in the epithet
Kankanagana
karayugalam using short syllables and as in
bhaasita vara
kaancana maya manigana sudhaamsu laalitha nija makutam
a very long
compounded description of the glittering crown, are noteworthy.
Again the usage
‘guha sahajam’ is an apt reference of the brother of ‘Guha’. In these the
recurring jingle of anuprasa letters heightens
the charm.
This kriti set in
the Ghana
raga ‘Nata’ propitiating Lord Ganesha the remover of all obstacles is an ideal
piece, which could be sung in the beginning of a concert.
Kriti 2
Raga Khamas
Saraswatim aasrayaami Tala Adi
Pallavi
Sarswatim aasrayaami satatam sarasijabhava jaaye gunanilaye
Anupallavi
Saradindu vadane gunasadane saamajendragamane subharadane
Charana
Karadrutaveenapustaka lasite kambusadrusakandare subhaasite
Varamunijana sannuta subhacharite vasavaadhi vinate vidhyaprade
Sarasijadalanayane subhakarane saadhujananikarasadane sugune
Kurukarunamayi komalabhaashini kaamitaarthaphaladana maneeshini
TRANSLATION
Pallavi
Oh! Goddess
Saraswati, I seek refuge in you
eternally-saraswatim aasrayaami satatam
The consort of
Brahma –one who is born off the lotus-sarasija bhava jaaye
The abode of
meritorious qualities-guna nilaye
Anupallavi
One whose face is
as pleasant as the autumnal moon -saradhindhu vadane
Who houses all
good qualities- guna sadane
Whose gait is
similar to that of an elephant- saamajendra gamane
Who bestows the
welfare - subha radhane
Charana
Whose palms are
sporting the lute and the holy manuscript-karadruta veena pustaka lasite
Whose neck is as
slender and beautiful as a conch-kambu sadrusa kantare
Who is lustrous- subhaasite
One who treads
along with the devout, noble and pious sages-varamuni jana sannuta subha carite
One, who is
worshipped by Indra and other Gods- vaasavaadhi vinute
One, who imparts
knowledge- vidhya pradhe
Lotus petal eyed- sarasija
dala nayane
Bestower of welfare- subhakarane
Whose abode is
among the group of pious people- saadhujana nikara sadhane
One with
impeccable quality- sugune
(do)grant me the
boons-kuru
Oh!compassionate one - karunaamayi
Soft-spoken one- komala
bhaashini
Who is prudent in
granting the desires of the seeker-kaamithaartha phala daana maneeshini
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
This is a prayer
to Goddess Saraswathi to show compassion. The poet seeks the protection of the
Goddess of Knowledge and adoringly praises her with all virtues.
The language of
the lyrics is Sanskrit. He uses the epithets:
Kandare –which
means neck marked with three lines like a shell and is considered as a sign of
great fortune;
Komala bhaashini-
bhaasha is a synonym for Goddess Saraswati.
These are some of
the scholarly usages, which reveal the knowledge of Parameswara Bhagavatar.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
Belongs to the
kriti variety of compositions with pallavi, anupallavi and one charana. There
are five padaas in the Pallavi, four padaas in the Anupallavi and fourteen in
the Charana.
Pallavi has two
paadaas,
Anupallavi has two
paadaas, while the charana is longer.
It has eight lines or avartas of which the
last two have to be rendered in the dhurita kala. Hence the carana will have
four paadaas. The metrical setting of the last two lines facilitate faster
tempo.
PROSODICAL ANALYSIS
Dviteeyakshara
prasa or second letter rhyming is evident in
Saraswatim and
Sarsija in the pallavi and
these match with Saradhindhu in the anupallavi.
In the charana,
the same alankara appears in
Karadruta
Varamuni
Sarasija
Kuru karunamayi
This prasa helps
us to identify the beginning of each paada .
The muhana-
alliteration sabdalankara is figuring throughout in the commencement of each
pair of avartas.
Saraswatim sarasija
Saradindhu saamajendra
Karadruta kambusadrusa
Varamuni vaasavaadhi
Sarasija saadhujana
Kuru kaamita
In “kuru karunaamayee”, “vasavaadhi vinate vidhyaapradhe”,
“ komala bhaashini kaamitaarthaphala daana
maneeshini” we find anuprasa
alankara.
Antyaprasa
alankara is evident in the following similar ending sounds of the avartas in
anupallavi and charana.
Sadane - radane
Lasite-
subhaasite- charite- vidhyaprade
subhakarane
-sugune- bhashini - maneeshini
Kriti 3
Raga Arabhi Subrahmanyam Chintaye Tala Adi
Pallavi
Subramanyam chintaye
satatam
Sundaresa sukumaram
veeram
Anupallavi
Aabrahmaloka sannuta
charitam
Ambikaatanayam
gunanilayam
Charana
Devasenaadhipatim
sumadyutim
Divyakeki vaahanam
mohanam
Devavairi
taarakamadaharanam
Deenajananikara
paalana nipunam
Sevakajana vamchita
phalapradam
Saamajamukhasahajam
shadananam
Saivamatavimukha
madavibhanjanam
Kaivalyaprada
saravanotadavam
TRANSLATION
Pallavi
I perpetually think of Subramanya who is the brave and worthy son of
Siva -Sundaresa.
Anupallavi
one who is propitiated universally by people who observe
austerities, the abode of Satguna
-good conduct- the son of Goddess Parvati-Ambikatanayam.
Charana
The consort of Devasena, the intelligent one-sumatim,
one who rides on the Divine Peacock, the handsome one, one who destroyed the
pride of Taarakasura-the enemy of the Gods, One who is adept in
protecting the groups of down trodden people, One who grants the wishes of the
devotees, the six-faced one, the sibling of the elephant faced- Ganesha,
One who shatters the pride of those who are against the Siva cult,
The boon-giver, who plays
among the thicket of reeds -Saravana.
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
In the Pallavi,
Lord Shanmukha is addressed as Subramanya and the various metaphors are used in
the subsequent lines and stanzas of the kriti-in the objective case as they
convey the attributes of Lord Subramanya. The reference is drawn to the story
of Taarakaasura vadham.
Taaraka –a demon
killed by Kartikeya, was the son of Vajranga and Vatangi. He propitiated God
Brahmadeva by means of his penance on the Pariyatra Mountain
and asked as a boon that he should not be killed by anyone except a child who
was seven days old. On the strength of this boon he began to oppress the gods
who were obliged to go to Brahma and ask his assistance in the destruction of
the demon. But they were told that the offspring of Siva could alone vanquish
him. Afterwards Kartikeya was born and he slew the demon on the seventh day of
his birth.
This is an invocatory song on Lord Muruga -a
deity worshipped more prominently in Tamil Nadu than Kerala.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
This composition
is set in the kriti format of Pallavi, anupallavi and one charana. The language
used is Sanskrit.
SYLLABLE ANALYSIS
Pallavi
1st
line and 2nd line are balanced with ten syllables each.
Anupallavi
The lines have eleven syllables each, hence
balanced.
Charana
The syllable
distribution among the lines is 10-10,12-13,12-12,13-12
In “deva vairee
taaraka mada haranam”
Among the twelve,
there are three long syllables de, ree and taa where as
in “deenajana nikara paalananipunam”,only two
long syllables.
Hence balance
maintained .
In the 7th
line,
In the line
“saiva----bhanjanam”, all thirteen syllables are hrsva or laghu, but
In
“kaivalya---tadavam” the one syllable is dheerga or guru, as “ no” in saravanotadavam provides the extra
syllable required.
This is a kriti with a long charana of eight lines. The
metre in the last four lines suggest madhyamakala rendition. Hence charana has
six paadaas.
The Pallavi and Anupallavi
have two paadaa each. The raga Arabhi
allows brisk rendering and hence the words suitably used.
The padaa in Pallavi numbers to six, in anupallavi three, in the
charana eleven.
PROSODICAL
ANALYSIS
The alliteration or the
aadiprasa alankara are evident in
Subramanyam -sundaresa
abrahma- ambika.
Devasena- divyakeki
Devavairi -dinajana
Sevakajan- samajamukha
In the last pada alone the sound of “ai” in saivamata and kaivalya,
is common.
Antyapraasa:
The sound ‘m’ with which all the lines end, provides antya prasa
alankara satatam
Veeram
Charitam
Nilayam
Sumatim
Mohanam
Haranam
Nipunam
Pradam
Aananam
Vibhanjanam
tadavam
Anuprasa beauties may be
exemplified as
in subdaresasukumaram-viram., the sound “r”
in tanayam- gunanilayam, the
sound “na” and “yam”
in devasenaadhipatim-sumatim,the sound “d” and “tim”
in divyakekivaahanam -mohanam,the sound “hanam”
in devavairitaarakamadaharanam, the sounds “va”,”r” and “d”
in deena jana nikara paalana nipunam, the sound “n”
saamajamukhasahajam-shadanam, the sounds “m”,”ja”,”am”
in saiva mata-vimuka-mada-vibhajanam the sound of “v”,”m”.
The epithet ‘saravanotadavam’ is a rare but beautiful usage for Lord
Muruga.
Dwiteeyaaksharapraasa:
In the words Subrahmanyam – Abrahmaloka the second syllable “brah”
which is common highlights the second letter rhyming between Pallavi &
Anupallavi.
Similarly in
the Anupallavi “b” in “Aabrahmaloka” and “ambika”, and in the
charana, “va” as in “deva”, “seva”, “saiva” and “kaivalya”.
Kriti
4
Raga Sankarabharana Bhaavaye visvesvaram Tala Chaapu
Pallavi
Bhaavaye visvesvaram paarvati manoharam
Padmateertha teera vaasam maheswaram
Anupallavi
Devarajamunigana sevita
paadakamalam
Deena janaavanalolam divya suguna seelam
Charana
Vrushabha vaahana sametam
vighnaraaja shadaanana samyutam
Toshitavisaalaaksheenataraajavilasitam
Taapasamunihrudayavaasam Kailaasa vaasam
Sesha bhooshana bhooshitaangam Asesha sujana karunaapaangam
Roshakarivara madavibhangam Sesha saayeesupoojita lingam
TRANSLATION
Pallavi
I meditate on the Lord of the
Universe,
One who stole the heart of
Goddess Paarvati
The great Lord who resides at the bank of the pond filled with lotus
Anupallavi
Whose lotus-like feet, worshipped by Lord Indra
Charana
Who has the Bull as vehicle, is assembled along with Ganesha and
Muruga
Who delights the large eyed goddess by his dancing splendor
Whose abode is at Kailasa –a peak of the Himalayas
and who dwells in the hearts of devout hermits observing penance
Whose body is decorated with the serpent and is full of compassion
to the pious people
Whose idol in the form of Lingam, is worshipped by Vishnu- who
destroyed the pride of the elephant-king.
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
This composition
is a prayer to Lord Siva as the Universal God and worshipped by Vishnu in his
incarnation as Raama at Raameswaram.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
This kriti with a
pallavi, anupallavi and a long charana, has madhyama kaala sahitya.
The pallavi and anupallavi have two paadaas each. The charana has five paadas, which seem odd.
The number of padaas in the pallavi is four; anupallavi has three,
and the charana nine padaas.
SYLLABLE ANALYSIS
Pallavi has eighteen syllables each for the two lines and hence is
balanced.
Anupallavi has twenty each for the two lines and so is balanced.
In the charana the first line has twenty-six syllables.
The next two have twenty each and hence have to be rendered like the
anupallavi.
The last two long lines should be rendered in the madhyama kaala.
PROSODICAL ANALYSIS
The antya prasa
rule is adhered to in this kriti entirely, since the last padaas in each avarta
end with the sound “am”.
Manoharam
Maheswaram
Kamalam
Seelam
Samyutam
Vilasitam
Kailasavaasam
Bhooshitaangam
Karunaapaangam
Madavibhangam
Lingam
In the same
avarta too Visveswaram-manoharam,
vaasam-Maheswaram
lolam-seelam
sametam –samyutam
vaasam-vaasam occur as
antya prasa alankara.
This shows the
language skill of the composer.
The Dwiteeyakshara
prasa between the pallavi “bhavaye”and devaraaja”;
The same between
Bhaavaye and paarvati,and devaraja and sevita helps us to split the two
paadaas, in the pallavi and anupallavi respectively.
In the charana
this prasa is seen at
Vrushabha,Toshita,Sesha,asesha,rosha,and
sesha.
First letter
alliteration or Muhana as Swathi Thirunal mentions in his work dealing with the
principles of sabhdaalamkaara, is used profusely in this kriti.
In the Pallavi,
Bhaavaye-Paarvati,
padmateertha---Maheswaram the consonants of the same group are used.
At the Anupallavi,
Devaraja-deenajana
–the same consonant but with a different vowel extension is used.
In the charana
Vrushabha-vignaraaja
–the first letter “v” of the conjunct consonant is used
toshita-taapasa, sesha-sesha- the same
consonant is used,
rosha-sesha ,
other consonant “s” is used against “r” both which belong to
“yaaddhyaashta
varga”
Kriti 5
Raga Kapi Harasivasambho Mahadeva Tala
Chaapu
Pallavi
Hara Siva Sambho Mahadeva
Bhavadaasritajana paripaala
Anupallavi
Saranaagatajana bhavabhaya mochana
Saadhujananikara hrudayanivaasa
Charana
Vara tarakshupuravaasa Mahesa
Dhanapati Kuberamitra
Dharmasamvardhanee sukalatra
Ganapatiguhavaraputra karadrutapaasaamkusa
Damaruka soola khadgaadhi vilasita kailaasa vaasa
TRANSLATION
Pallavi
Oh! Hara ,Siva Sambho, Mahadeva
One who sustains those who seek
protection
Anupallavi
One who vitiates the worldly fears of those who seek your succor
One who resides in the heart of the flock of pious people
Charana
Oh!
Compassionate one, Sankara, the consort of Gouri
Mahesa who resides at Varatarakshupura
Friend of Kubera the lord of
wealth, Spouse of Dharmasamvardhani
Whose sons are Ganesha and Guha, One who manifests with the noose,
the spike, in his hands and who resides at Kailasa- the peak of the Himalayas, gleaming with the small drum shaped like a
hour glass and used by the Kaapaalikas, the Trident, and the sword.
THEMATIC
ANALYSIS
It is a kriti in praise of Lord Shiva, describing his splendor as he
resides at Kailasa. Tarakshupura refered here is Vaikom, one of the famous Siva
temples, situated about 20 miles North-West
of Kottayam in Kerala.
The place is said to have been the den of hyenas –Tarakshu in olden times.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
Set in Chaapu
tala, this composition in kriti format has a pallavi, anupallavi and charana.
PROSODICAL ANALYSIS
The Dwiteeyakshara prasa between pallavi, anupallavi and charana is
seen at Hara,
saranaagata and
vara.
Anuprasa in
karunaakara,
gaurivara,
sankara, wherein the sound
“ra” is frequenting adds charm when rendered.
Antya prasa alankara at
mitra,
kalatra,
putra provides last letter
rhyming.
SYLLABLE
ANALYSIS
The syllable balance namely guru and
laghu –long and short is maintained throughout the song. Hence this kriti can
be rendered melodically. The tala setting also provides the required rhythmic
aesthetics. The madhyama kala sahitya gives the onometopic beauty to the
rendering.
Kriti 6
Raga Begada Maamava Sivasambho Tala Rupaka
Pallavi
Maamava Sivasambho Mahadeva
Maanyagunanilaya Hara Sankara
Anupallavi
Somakalaadhara sujana bhayahara
Sundaresa suramunijanavandita charanaamburuha
Charana
Bhaktajana paripaalana lola
Paavanasugunaganajaala
Bhukthimukthiprada bhogeendra bhooshana
Bhoota brunda vandita bhuvanaadheesa
Tatvaswaroopa taapatraya mochana
Tarakshupuraalaya vinivaasa
Satva svabhaavajana annadhaanaprada
Saarvabhowmaa komalaanga kaamitaartha daana nipuna
TRANSLATION
Pallavi
Oh! my Lord, Auspicious one, Sambho Mahadeva
Hara! Sankara! Epitome of venerable character
Anupallavi
Who holds the crescent, He who allays the fear of the noble
Sundaresa, whose lotus-like feet is worshipped by the ascetics and
hermits.
Charana
Who is eager in protecting the devotees
Who is surrounded by multitudes of pious and noble people
One who showers worldly blessings in this Universe and also
salvation,
Who is adorned by the king among serpents, and gives enjoyment,
Who is adored by the groups of bhoota ganas- the collection
of created beings and the class of spirits and devils and
is the lord of the three worlds-Earth, Nether world, and Heaven
Who is the embodiment of Truth and vanquishes the three types of miseries
Who resides at Tarakshupura, Who provides food –the basic necessity
to the good-natured people, is omnipotent and is of slender frame,
Who is shrewd in
fulfilling the wishes and granting the desires.
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
This composition
portrays the various attributes of Lord Siva at Tarakshupura, a temple at
Vaikom. This is one of the famous Siva temples situated about 20 miles
North-West of Kottayam in Kerala.
Lord Siva is
represented as the provider of the annam
as mentioned in Sambandar Tevaaram –annam paalikkum ayyan.
Here annam
is represented as the bare minimum lowest form in which the Supreme soul is
manifested.
The composer
refers to the three types of distress that human beings have to suffer in this
material world viz. aadhyaatmika- caused by mind or spirit, aadhidhaivika-
caused by Fate or Destiny, aadhibhowtika-caused by beings and elementary
material. He prays to Lord Siva to alleviate these sufferings.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
A kriti set in
Rupaka tala in one of the ancient ragas Begada.
The pallavi and
anupallavi consist of four avartas each. The charana is unusually long with
eight lines.
SYLLABLE ANALYSIS
The two
lines of the pallavi have fifteen syllables each comprising of laghu
and guru
ganaas.
In the anupallavi the second line is longer
with twenty-four ganaas while the
first paada has only fifteen, thus the
second line felicitates rendering in the
faster tempo.
In
the charana, the syllables are distributed as
13-13,17-17,16-16,17-25.
The fifth and sixth lines having sixteen
syllables each may be rendered as
the anupallavi.
In the last two lines which are longer and
have anuprasa alankara, the ganas
are distributed such that the lines may be
rendered in madhyamakala.
PROSODICAL ANALYSIS
Aadi prasa alankara or the first letter alliteration in the pallavi
at
Maamava and Mahadeva help to split the avartas.
maamava and maanya in pallavi show that the two paadaas begin with
the same syllable “maa”
In anupallavi
Soma and sujana provide the alliteration for the two avartas and
sundaresa in the next line shows another paada.
But since the number of syllables in the second paada is more, it
will have to be rendered in a faster tempo.
The continuous usage of the sound “s” provides anuprasa alankara.
In the Charana, the words-
Bhakta, paavana, bhakthi, bhoota, adhere to the adiprasa niyama
And in tatva and tarakshu; and
Satva and saarva the avartas are split.
Antya prasa is seen in
Lola
jaala; where there is last letter “la” rhyming.
In the words,
Bhooshana
mochana
jana
nipuna; the last letter
rhyming of the sound “na” adds to the lyrical beauty, when
rendering the kriti.
Anupraasa Alankara is found in the following padaas:
Paavanasugunagana- the sound
of “na” and the “akaaraanth” consonant sound are repeated.
Tatvaswaroopa taapatraya- the
sound of “ta” is repeated.
Daananipuna- the sound of “da” is repeated.
Paalanalola- the sound of
“la” is repeated.
SUMMARY
The kritis of Parameswara Bhagavatar
have the essential angas of a kriti like Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charana. All
kritis discussed here have only one Charana.
The sahitya of the
kritis are doxological and show the devotional fervour.
Parameswra
Bhagavatar does not seem to have used any mudra. Hence confusion is bound to
arise about the authorship.
Madhyama
kala sahitya add certain majesty to the compositions. They are not apt places
for developing neraval, but are fit phrases for developing kalpana swaras.
The language used
is simple Sanskrit and shows the devout nature of Parameswara Bhagavatar.
His proficiency in
the science of music is evident in the choice of ragas and talas.
CHAPTER
SIX
CONCLUSION
From the Vedic chants to the cucheri paddhati,
there have been a rich evolution in the music of Kerala. At the same time
Kerala has preserved its uniqueness, may it be the distinctive feature of the
recitation of the Vedas by the Namboodiri sect, the preserve of rare talas in
the music of Koodiyaattam, the storage of ancient ragas in the tradition of
Sopanattil Paattu, the practice of rendering Tanam by executing the tala beats
with rhythmic accompaniment, or the contribution by the members of the Royal
household as composers, musicians and patrons. The talent and works of the
likes of Palakkad Parameswara Bhagavatar, would have been lost to the world,
but for the generosity of the Royal patrons.
Parameswara Bhagavatar has
left behind a legacy of musicians among his
descendants and disciples. But his compositions are not popular in the current
day music platforms either in Kerala or elsewhere.
Varnas, in general, have
begun to fade away from the agenda of performing musicians. Parameswara
Bhagavatar’s varnas serve the best recipe for good voice culture. Rendering
them in the madhyama kaala as taana with the syllables ananta, aananda,
replacing the sahitya provides good enough practice for taana.
The varnas have intrinsic value in so far as they have melodic, rhythmic as
well as lyrical beauty.
They provide the melakkattu when rendered at the beginning of a concert.
While it is unfortunate that the melody of Bhagavatar’s kritis is
not heard, the setting in his varnas help any knowledgeable musician to set to
tune and render the kritis which have devotional, musical and aesthetic appeal .
The study of his varnas shows the musical genius and a perusal of his kritis
reveals the devotional person in Parameswara Bhagavatar.
The revival of interest among the cosmopolitan music lovers to
listen to the compositions for their inherent musical value without any
linguistic bias should provide impetus to the performers, teachers and students
of music to learn and propagate these treasures and preserve to posterity.
There is wide scope for further research in the works of various
categories of men and women composers like those, who belonged to and lived in
Kerala, who have lived there for a specific period but hailed from other parts
of India,
and those Keralites who have migrated elsewhere. Being a performer and with the
knowledge of the vernacular languages, the author proposes to study further on
these lines.
S.Natarajan, Sopana Music-article in The Journal of The Madras
Music Academy, Vol.VLII, pp.199- 204.
